Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

Feedback

• Let down

  1

  Submitted by Anonymous 23rd May 2018

  2 years ago, I tried to access support and was told to attend a group session at the Forum where they gave out information about various services they offer. I didn't think the session was overly helpful. I waited to hear back from them about going forward and received an email saying I was being taken off their list, and if I wanted support I should self-refer again. Last month I referred myself in again and explained that I'd already been to the group session previously, and that I was looking for counselling or more one to one support. I was offered telephone support one to one. They never arranged a time or day and just called me one random day, I was due to start work in 10 minutes. I explained I was starting work and couldn't complete the session. I then received an email a few weeks later saying that because I didn't complete the telephone consultation that I was again being taken off their list and should self-refer again if I wanted support. I gave up after that.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback and we are sorry to hear that your experience of the service has not been positive. It would be really helpful to explore this with you in more detail to establish what has happened as your experience doesn't reflect our normal processes. As Service Manager, I am always keen to find out what has happened and how we can ensure that we learn from such experiences. Once our service receives a referral we contact the individual within 3 working days by telephone to arrange a one-to-one assessment. This initial 45 minute assessment normally takes place over the telephone and will be within 6 weeks of the referral receipt. At this assessment the clinician will discuss what difficulties the person is experiencing, what they would to get from accessing support and what support would be best suited to meet these goals. It doesn't sound like this was your experience which concerns me. If you would like to discuss this further do contact us directly on 0300 123 1503.

• Struggled to access support

  2

  Submitted by Anonymous 23rd May 2018

  I struggled to access the sessions they offered as I am disabled and use a wheelchair. I particularly struggle with big groups and big rooms. Don't feel like much else was offered.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback and we are sorry to hear that you struggled to access our service. This is not acceptable and we would be keen to find out what made accessing the service difficult and how this can be improved. Your initial 45 minute assessment would normally take place over the telephone and should have been within 6 weeks of the referral receipt. At this assessment the clinician should have discussed what difficulties you are experiencing, what you would like to get from accessing support from Wellbeing and what support would be best suited to meet these goals. It doesn't sound like this was your experience which concerns me and no one should feel that attending a group is their only option. For some, workshops are really helpful but for others, this is not the case. Everyone is different and should be treated as such. If you would like to discuss this further do contact us directly on 0300 123 1503.

• Online CBT

  4

  Submitted by Anonymous 17th May 2018

  I got information from my GP about the service and referred myself online. I wanted to get some support and was asked to attend a group session. I was anxious about the group meeting and at first it made me worse. There was lots of information given at this group session. After this group session, I was able to access an online 6 week 1 on 1 CBT course. The wait for the online course was 3/4 months, whereas a face to face meeting was a lot longer so I opted for the online CBT. It was done over Skype from my home and was very convenient and worked well. It definitely helped me.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback. It's always lovely to read when someone has found the service helpful! We are keen to offer support in as many ways as is possible. As such, we offer support via workshops (face to face and via webinar) and one to one support (face to face, over the telephone, via Skype and computerised CBT). If you are interested in supporting the service to develop and have any ideas as to how it can be improved, we would love to hear from you.

• Weren't able to cope with my son's condition

  2

  Submitted by Anonymous 16th May 2018

  My son was trying to access support for his wellbeing. My son has Tourette's and they weren't able to cope with his condition. The wait was far too long and I had to access private treatment. Had I not have been working and able to support him he would have been a suicide risk.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback and we are sorry to hear that you do not feel that the support your son received from the service was adequate to meet his needs. As a Primary Care Mental Health Service, we provide support to individuals experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and depression. If an individual's needs are more severe, they are best supported by Secondary Mental Health Services. Our service can facilitate transfer if required and so I am concerned, if appropriate, that this did not happen in your son's case. It would be helpful to discuss this in more detail. If you would like to contact us, please do so on 0300 123 1503.

• Group sessions are off-putting

  2

  Submitted by Anonymous 16th May 2018

  I wanted some support for anxiety and stress, I was invited to a group forum in Norwich. It was mainly information giving and not any actual support. I was quite put off by this group session and paid for private sessions.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback and we are sorry to hear that you did not find the workshop that you attended helpful. We are saddened that you felt the need to access sessions privately as we would always encourage people to talk to our workshop facilitators if they are not finding the support beneficial. We offer support in a number of ways and workshops are just one of these. We also understand that workshops don't suit everyone and it's important that people have a choice about how they access the support recommended. If an individual would benefit from one to one sessions (by telephone, face to face or online) we are keen to facilitate this. Please do contact us on 0300 123 1503 if you would like to discuss the options available in more detail. Alternatively, you can find out more about what the service offers on our website www.wellbeingnands.co.uk

• Not very helpful for me

  2

  Submitted by Anonymous 16th May 2018

  I ended up just speaking to strangers on the phone, and answering the same sort of questions. They would ask me if I had any friends in my village to talk to. Not very helpful for me.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback and sorry that you didn't find the service helpful. We would be keen to discuss this with you and to see whether there are any other support options available that may be more helpful. If you would like to discuss this, please do call us on 0300 123 1503 or explore our website www.wellbeingnands.co.uk to find out what more is on offer.

• 12 month waiting list, too long

  3

  Submitted by Anonymous 25th April 2018

  I went to two group sessions. Lots of information pushing and raising awareness of stress etc. 20-30 people in each session which was quite awkward. I didn't get anything from it. I was then told it would be a 12 month wait for one on one counselling.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for your feedback and for raising your concerns with regards to the waiting times within the service. We are concerned that you were given the impression that for counselling, this would be 12 months as this is not the case. Waiting lists within the service vary depending on the type of psychological therapy recommended and the availability of the individual (times of day, location etc.). As Service Manager, I would be keen to establish why you were led to believe that the wait for support would be this long and encourage you to contact me directly to discuss this. Our number is 0300 123 1503.

• Not eligible for a course

  3

  Submitted by Anonymous 25th April 2018

  I signed up for the Wellbeing service and went for an initial introductory session, which was very good. I was then told that because I am military personnel, I'm not eligible for the service. I pay tax like everybody else, I don't understand why I can't access the service. There are services on the base, but these are specialised and tend to be focused on post traumatic stress disorder and similar issues. I was interested in an eight week mindfulness course. I think it would have been very beneficial for me.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for your feedback. I was very concerned to read that you were told that you were not eligible for our service. We work with all individuals registered with a Norfolk GP practice who are experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and depression and would benefit from the various interventions that we offer. As feedback is anonymous, it is difficult to look further into individual cases. As Service Manager, I would be keen for you to contact us directly to discuss this further. Our number is 0300 123 1503.

• Services not right for me

  3

  Submitted by Anonymous 24th April 2018

  I approached the service because I had a lot on my plate and wanted some help dealing with it. The lady I spoke to was so lovely, and 9 times out of 10, what she offered would be fine, but not for me. I can't sit down on chairs due to spinal problems, and I was offered a group meeting. I didn't want to stand while everybody else sat down. I was then offered a one on one where I could lay down on a yoga mat, but this just wasn't for me. I also feel like for me having to travel into Great Yarmouth to access the meetings, it would only compound my issues. I have mobility issues and very low income, so transport is a big stress for me.

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback. I am pleased to hear that the clinician you spoke to was helpful and offered a number of options. I would be keen to establish whether telephone support was offered as this would enable someone to remain in their own environment and stand during the appointments if more comfortable. We offer interventions in many ways and telephone is certainly one of them. If you feel that this would be helpful, please do contact us on 0300 123 1503.

• Wonderfully helpful

  5

  Submitted by Anonymous 21st April 2018

  After many years of being anxious/worried about accessing the service, I did, and wished I'd done it years ago. The therapist was excellent, calm and understanding - but also challenged me (in a positive way)

• Reply from Wellbeing Norfolk and Waveney (IAPT)

  Thank you for your feedback. It's lovely to hear that your experience of the Wellbeing Service was so positive. We hope that your journey of recovery continues and would love for you to support our service to ensure that it continues to develop and improve. If you would be interested in volunteering with us or supporting service developments, please do contact us on admin@wellbeingnandw.co.uk